ART IN THE AIRPORT
CREATING A SENSE OF PLACE
Creating a sense of place involves
connecting an airport to the region
it serves through art, culture, cuisine,
individuals and institutions. We are
pleased to partner with museums, artists,
musicians and others in Pittsburgh’s
vibrant arts community to showcase our
region’s unique amenities and enhance
travelers’ experience in the terminals.
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WORLD OF WARHOL ANDY WARHOL
warhol.org
The Andy Warhol Museum
maintains two display cases of
artist Andy Warhol’s fine art prints,
photographs, and other memorabilia in
a rotating exhibition titled World of Warhol.
Warhol’s wallpapers Cow and Self-Portrait serve as
a colorful backdrop and maintain a constant presence
in the exhibition space. Warhol introduced artist designed
wallpaper to the contemporary art world with his first formal
wallpaper Cow.
THE SKY BENEATH OUR FEET CLAYTON MERRELL, 2015 artscool.cfa.cmu.edu/~merrell/
The Sky Beneath Our Feet is a
69,000-square-foot terrazzo artwork that
showcases iconic Pittsburgh places such
as the outline of Heinz Field, the sweeping
lenticular trusses of the Smithfield Street Bridge,
the 40 stories of the Cathedral of Learning, and
the industrial ruins of Carrie Furnaces. The bright, blue
terrazzo sky surrounds the silhouettes of these landmarks
and gives the viewer a bird’s-eye-view of Pittsburgh’s
landscape.
PITTSBURGH
ALEXANDER
CALDER, 1958
calder.org
This mobile was created for the
1958 Bicentennial International
Exhibition of Contemporary Art at the
Carnegie Museum of Art, where it was
awarded first prize. G. David Thompson, a
renowned art collector, purchased the mobile and
donated it to Allegheny County. In 1959, the County
moved the striking mobile to the main rotunda of the
Greater Pittsburgh International Airport. Calder intended
the mobile, with its graceful and slender black rods propelled
by white paddles, to be observed in free rotation. In keeping
with Calder’s intentions, Pittsburgh was installed in the airside
terminal at the Pittsburgh International Airport.
FRALEY’S ROBOT REPAIR: PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BRANCH
TOBY FRALEY, 2015 tobyfraley.com
Toby Fraley’s Robot Repair was originally
commissioned as part of Project Pop-up
Pittsburgh: Downtown and was located in
Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. Like its predecessor,
Fraley’s Robot Repair: Pittsburgh International Airport
Branch is a faux storefront that emulates an antiquated
repair shop—for robots, of course! Robot Repair invites
viewers to imagine a future where humanoid robots are
integrated into our daily lives. Details large and small are
changed periodically during this temporary exhibition.
PITTSBURGH, NOW AND THEN
DAVIEA DAVIS, 2007
The Pittsburgh Glass Center,
a nonprofit, public access glass
studio and gallery, collaborated with
the Allegheny County Airport Authority
on a unique project during the Year of
Glass in 2007.
Pittsburgh artist Daviea Davis was
commissioned to create two, large glass mosaics
that would serve as the centerpieces for the project’s
exhibit. Pittsburgh, Now and Then are colorful glass
mosaics depicting Pittsburgh at the height of its industrial
manufacturing past and its current state as a clean and
vibrant city.
STRIP MINES
AKIKO KOTANI,
1984 akikokotani.com
As a newcomer to southwestern
Pennsylvania, Kotani marveled at
the massiveness and visual impact of
strip mines, which are unique to the area’s
landscape. Strip mines are mounds of earth
that are upended by the force of giant machines,
used to mine elements from the ground. The muted
and faded color palette of these resultant landforms
reminded the artist of extraterrestrial landscapes. Kotani
considers strip mines themselves to exude a mournful beauty
and she hoped to capture this sentiment in her tapestry.
EXHIBITION SPACE TICKETING
This temporary rotating
exhibition features objects and
artworks by local arts and cultural
institutions. The exhibitions are changed
bi-annually. Exhibitions have included work by
the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, the Society
for Contemporary Craft, and Turner’s Anonymous.
ARCH
GLENN KAINO, 2008
glennkainostudio.com
Inspired by Pittsburgh’s bridges,
artist Glenn Kaino studied elements
of the bridges and replicated their most
sculptural features to assemble Arch, a large-
scale robotic figure.
Next to Arch, be sure to visit the Bridges of
Pittsburgh educational display, brought to you by the
Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania. This display
provides in-depth information about the bridges featured in
the sculpture, and some fun facts about bridge engineering.
PATHS
JACKIE FERRARA, 1996
jackieferrara.com
This mosaic floor tile installation
was designed to help travelers find
their way through the airport. Each path is
a progression of lines, geometric shapes and
alternating colors. The design was inspired by a
science fiction novel where inhabitants, separated
through space and time, were only able to reach each
other by crossing a curiously patterned tile floor.
RENASCENCE
RON BENNETT, 1980
This sculpture was originally
housed at the terminal side of
Greater Pittsburgh International
Airport. Commissioned by the
Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania
to commemorate their 100th anniversary, the
design was chosen from more than 30 entries
in a competition conducted by the Pittsburgh Plan
for Art. Standing at 21 feet tall, Bennett described the
sculpture as a “hard geometric form [that] is supposed
to represent the hardness of business and [the] industrial
background of Pittsburgh.” From one angle, the sculpture appears
to be a perfect quarter of a circle, but as the viewer moves
around the piece, the appearance of the hard metal becomes
softer and much more fluid. For Bennett, the softness of the work
represents the warm and good-natured people of Pittsburgh.
The sculpture rises from a base symbolizing the city’s ability
to succeed.
PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PERFORMING ARTS SERIES
The Performing Arts Series at
Pittsburgh International Airport features
local performing artists of all genres to
entertain travelers and airport employees
throughout the year. For an up to date list
of performances, please visit flypittsburgh.com/
performing arts.
Q THE MUSIC: PITTSBURGH CLASSICAL NETWORK, WQED
The music heard throughout the terminals is streamed by
Pittsburgh radio station WQED-FM 89.3 at Pittsburgh International
Airport and at the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s
T Stations via the Q the Music program. Q the Music features a
regional network of local musicians and organizations including
the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra playing classical music.
KIDSPORT
Kidsport is a play and learning area for children and families. It
features several artist-designed interactive installations from the
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Museums of
Pittsburgh that challenge kids of all ages to explore concepts of
live video, height comparison, movement and more.
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ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Art has enhanced travelers’ experience in the airport and
connected visitors to the culture of our region since the installation
of Alexander Calder’s mobile Pittsburgh.
From temporary exhibitions and a weekly Performing Arts Series
in the Landside Terminal to permanent sculptures and integrating
works of art into our design, we are committed to promoting our
region’s abundant arts and cultural heritage.
The Art in the Airport program is overseen by the Art in the Airport
Advisory Committee. The committee’s mission is to manage an
art collection of style, diversity, and beauty to be enjoyed by the
traveling public and airport employees that also promotes public art
and enhances the airport environment.
Design by Little Kelpie PHOTO CREDITS Performing Arts Series: musician Kenny Peagler Exhibition Case: artist Crystal Latimer
Learn more at flypittsburgh.com
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LANDSIDE
AIRSIDE